Innovative equine nutrition company Racing Blue has won the 2012 BETA Feed & Supplement Innovation Award for its unique equine sports supplement STORM™, a new product that ameliorates the negative effect of lactic acid on muscle thus delaying fatigue. The Award, made at this year’s equine trade event BETA International, February 21-23, recognises new and genuinely innovative products that have been introduced to the market within the past twelve months.The judges were particularly impressed with the pedigree of STORM™ which has been developed by British Equine Scientists, highly experienced in the field of nutrition and is supported by rigorous equine research data and global patents. Commenting on the BETA International Innovation Award, the judges said “STORM opens a new chapter in equine nutrition by highlighting the benefit of supplementing the diet with beta-alanine, the key amino acid ingredient in STORM™, making it a true innovation. The level and robustness of research that this product has behind it gave us, as judges, the added confidence to give STORM™ this years Innovation Award in the Feed & Supplements category.”During training and racing or competition, the need for sustained speed and/or power means that lactic acid accumulates in muscle, which contributes to muscle fatigue. Tired horses will slow down, which can not only limit performance but could lead to crucial mistakes. STORM™ delivers the nutritional building block, beta-alanine, to allow horses to boost their in-built mechanism for buffering lactic acid in muscle via muscle carnosine, an integral part of the horse’s mechanism to ameliorate the negative effect of lactic acid on muscle function. Dr Mark Dunnett, the leading scientist behind the development of STORM™ explains what makes this feed supplement uniquely beneficial to the competition horse: “Beta alanine, is the key nutrient building block for muscle carnosine synthesis and is only found in the horse’s diet at a very low level. Supplemental beta alanine is therefore important for race horses and competition horses”. Within STORM™ patented beta alanine (ProCarnosine™) combines with other synergistic ingredients to ensure availability from the digestive tract and uptake into muscle. STORM™ is supported by extensive research data in both humans and horses and has been scientifically proven to promote carnosine synthesis. STORM™ is supported by global patents covering the use of beta-alanine in horses and humans and is exclusively available through Racing Blue. STORM™ 3kg tub (3 months supply) RRP £195 (£1.95 / horse / day). Also available as 12.5kg tub